Editing Pizza cheese (section)

==Varieties and types==
[[File:Tk pizza.jpg|thumb|A wrapped [[Pizza#Frozen pizza|frozen pizza]]]]
The ''International Dictionary of Food and Cooking'' defines pizza cheese as "a soft spun-curd cheese similar to Mozzarella made from cow's milk..." that is "...used particularly for pizzas and contains somewhat less water than real Mozzarella..."<ref>{{cite book |title=International Dictionary of Food and Cooking |last=Sinclair |first=Charles G. |year=1998 |publisher=Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers |isbn=978-1579580575 |page=417 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fnveo8cyxKkC&q=%22pizza+cheese%22&pg=PA417 |access-date=September 28, 2012}}</ref> Most are at least 95 percent [[mozzarella]],<ref name="three">{{cite web |url=http://business.highbeam.com/137612/article-1G1-66219821/firms-unite-drive-pizza-cheese-sales |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306002251/http://business.highbeam.com/137612/article-1G1-66219821/firms-unite-drive-pizza-cheese-sales |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 6, 2014 |title=Firms unite to drive pizza cheese sales |volume=65 |date=September 1, 2000 |publisher=Dairy Industries International |issue=9 |page=7}}</ref> with different moisture and fat densities.<ref name=johncorrell/><ref name="McMahon"/> Cheese for [[Pizza#Frozen pizza|frozen pizzas]] may be comminuted, in which the cheese is processed into minute granules or fragments.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US4753815 |title=Pizza Preparation from Comminuted Cheese |publisher=United States Patent and Trademark Office |date=June 29, 1988 |access-date=September 28, 2012 |first1=Lester O. |last1=Kielsmeier |first2=Richard L. |last2=Barz |first3=Wesley J. |last3=Allen }}</ref> Low-moisture mozzarella can be formulated specifically for pizza.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://business.highbeam.com/137612/article-1G1-105477922/permanently-pizza-continuo | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130125035645/http://business.highbeam.com/137612/article-1G1-105477922/permanently-pizza-continuo | url-status=dead | archive-date=January 25, 2013 | title=Permanently pizza: continuous production of pizza cheese is now a realistic proposition | publisher=Dairy Industries International | date=June 1, 2003 | access-date=September 30, 2012 | author=Aikenhead, Charles }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c7cacFl04bgC&q=pizza+cheese&pg=PA338 | title=Cheese: Chemistry, Physics and Microbiology (Major Cheese Groups) | publisher=[[Aspen Publishers]] | year=1999 | volume=2| access-date=September 27, 2012 |last=Fox |first=Patrick F. |isbn=978-0412535109}}</ref> Cheese may be processed into blocks, from which the product can be grated, made into granules or sliced for use on pizza<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4997670.html | title=Method of baking pizza from coated frozen cheese granules | publisher=Freepatentsonline.com |work=United States Patent 4997670| date=March 5, 1991 | access-date=October 16, 2012 |first1=Lester O. |last1=Kielsmeier |first2=Richard L. |last2=Barz |first3=Wesley J. |last3=Allen}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.freepatentsonline.com/3662677.html | title=Machine for Shredding Cheese and for Depositing the Cheese Onto Pizzas | publisher=Freepatentsonline.com | work=United States Patent 3662677| date=May 16, 1972 | access-date=October 16, 2012}}</ref> or other foods. Pizza cheese frequently consists of a blend of two or more cheeses, such as low-moisture mozzarella or [[provolone]].<ref name=johncorrell /> Low-moisture mozzarella was first manufactured in dairy factories in the Midwestern United States, and was originally called "pizza cheese".<ref name="CST 1998">{{cite web | title=Pizza cheese? It's a drier mozzarella | website=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] | date=April 29, 1998 | url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4446162.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160220220556/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4446162.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=February 20, 2016 | access-date=February 12, 2016 }}</ref> Compared to standard mozzarella, low-moisture mozzarella has a firmer [[Food rheology|texture]], is easier to grate, has better browning and melting characteristics, and is less [[Decomposition#Food decomposition|perishable]].<ref name="CST 1998"/>

Globally, mozzarella is the most popular pizza cheese.<ref name="Howard 2014"/> However, it has been estimated that in the United States only 30% of all pizza cheese used is actual mozzarella.<ref name="forbes2007"/> Provolone is the second most popular one.<ref name=johncorrell /> [[Cheddar cheese|Cheddar]] may be mixed with mozzarella to preserve chewiness.<ref name=johncorrell /> Grated [[Parmigiano-Reggiano|Parmesan]] may be added to the top of a pizza, and typically does not melt well when cooked.<ref name=johncorrell /> A diverse variety of [[processed cheese|processed]] pizza cheeses are produced, including analogue cheese. [[Provel]] is one example. Other pizza cheeses include [[Emmental cheese|Emmental]] and ''[[pecorino romano]]'';<ref name="Bittman 2010"/> [[Detroit-style pizza]] is noted for its use of Wisconsin [[brick cheese]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.eater.com/2019/4/9/18300994/square-pizza-detroit-style-trend-buddys-emmy-squared-expansion|title=Detroit-Style Pizza Is Having a Moment. But Are Its Originators Getting Left Behind?|last=Houck|first=Brenna|date=9 April 2019|website=Eater|language=en|access-date=22 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214145419/https://www.eater.com/2019/4/9/18300994/square-pizza-detroit-style-trend-buddys-emmy-squared-expansion|archive-date=14 December 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Detroit-Style Pizza Is the Best Thing You're Gonna Make This Year {{!}} The Food Lab|url=https://www.seriouseats.com/2017/02/how-to-make-detroit-style-pizza.html|last=López-Alt|first=J. Kenji|date=28 February 2017|website=[[Serious Eats]]|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200414185018/https://www.seriouseats.com/2017/02/how-to-make-detroit-style-pizza.html|archive-date=14 April 2020|access-date=22 April 2020}}</ref> [[Ricotta]] is used for [[calzone]]s or as a topping.<ref name="Fraioli 2009"/><ref name="Adler Fertig 2014"/>

Several cheeses may be mixed together in its formulation, and each has individual browning and blistering characteristics.<ref name="Howard 2014"/> For example, a combination of mozzarella and Cheddar may blister less when cooked compared to other combinations, because cheddar has less elasticity, while mozzarella and provolone may brown less compared to other combinations.<ref name="Howard 2014"/>

===Processed pizza cheeses===
[[File:Pizza cheese.jpg|thumb|A Swedish processed pizza cheese mix prepared with milk and vegetable fat, with a total fat content of 26%]]

[[Pasteurization|Pasteurized]] and processed cheese-like products for pizza that are quicker and cheaper to produce than real cheese<ref name=beeb>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02qmlzk |title=BBC One - Food Factory, Ready-Made, Fake cheese |website=BBC |date=18 July 2012 |access-date= 7 May 2017}}</ref> and designed to melt well and remain chewy are used on many [[Mass production|mass-produced]] pizzas in North America and the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00w7f94 | title=Fake cheese (text and video) | publisher=BBC | date=July 18, 2012 | access-date=October 17, 2012 | author=Gates, Stefan}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Revenue Management for the Hospitality Industry |last1=Hayes |first1=David K. |last2=Miller |first2=Allisha |year=2011 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |isbn=9780470393086 |page=60 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=coWkoyJeHIEC&q=pizza+cheese&pg=PA60 |access-date=September 29, 2012}}</ref> These products are referred to as ''analogue'' (or ''analog'') ''pizza cheese'';<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=kgV5OqdDEpEC&dq=%22analogue+pizza+cheese%22&pg=PA1129 Advanced Dairy Chemistry – P. F. Fox, P. L. H. McSweeney – Google Books<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> in the UK the term "cheese analogue" is used, making clear that it is not actually cheese. In the book ''Technology of Cheesemaking'',  editors Law and Tamimethat state that analogue pizza cheese appears to be the leading type of [[cheese analogue]] produced globally.<ref name="TechnologyofCheesemaking">{{cite book |title=Technology of Cheesemaking |last=Law |first=Barry A |editor=Tamime, A.Y. |year=2010 |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |isbn=9781444323757 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Turm77IMxnUC&q=%22pizza+cheese%22&pg=PT355}}</ref> Each year in the United States, 700 million frozen pizzas are sold, three-quarters of which contain cheese substitutes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MN&p_theme=mn&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EFE48C86891A728&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |title=Star Tribune Archives |publisher=Nl.newsbank.com |date=September 11, 1987 |access-date=September 28, 2012 |quote=About three-fourths of the 700 million frozen pizzas sold each year in the United States contain cheese substitutes. The most common is casein,... |url-access=subscription |archive-date=May 10, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510162903/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MN&p_theme=mn&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EFE48C86891A728&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Analogue pizza cheeses may be formulated for processing with less sophisticated [[Cheesemaker|cheese-making]] equipment than is required for mozzarella cheese, such as using simple mixing and molding.<ref>{{cite book |title=Cheese Rheology and Texture |last1=Gunasekaran |first1=Sundaram  |last2=Mehmet Ak |first2=M. |year=2003 |publisher=[[CRC Press]] |isbn=978-1587160219 |page=288 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1UDOiZFOyw4C&q=%22analog+pizza+cheese%22&pg=PA3 |access-date=September 30, 2012}}</ref> They tend to have a soft texture and once melted, may have a slightly "stringy" quality when pulled or bitten into. They may lack fusion, i.e. shredded pieces might not flow together when they melt.<ref name="TechnologyofCheesemaking"/> New stabilizer systems have been developed that have helped to enable the creation of analogue pizza cheeses.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://business.highbeam.com/423100/article-1G1-110313918/stabiliser-systems-key-great-pizza-comes-judging-taste | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306004514/http://business.highbeam.com/423100/article-1G1-110313918/stabiliser-systems-key-great-pizza-comes-judging-taste | url-status=dead | archive-date=2014-03-06 | title=Stabiliser systems{{mdash}}the key to a great pizza: when it comes to judging the taste and quality of pizza it depends on one critical ingredient{{mdash}}pizza cheese | publisher=International Food Ingredients | date=October 1, 2003 | access-date=October 16, 2012 | author=Kuhl, Rudiger}}</ref>

An example of a processed pizza cheese is [[Provel cheese|Provel]], which uses [[Cheddar cheese|Cheddar]], [[Swiss cheese (North America)|Swiss]], and provolone cheeses as flavorants.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Everything Pizza Cookbook: 300 Crowd-Pleasing Slices of Heaven |last=Hulin |first=Belinda |year=2007 |publisher=[[F+W Publications]], Inc. |isbn=978-1598692594 |page=7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pZAv_kYu-9UC&q=provel&pg=PA7 |access-date=September 30, 2012 }}{{Dead link|date=February 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Some analogue types are made with [[casein]], a by-product of milk, and vegetable oil, rather than milk fat.<ref name="DanishDairy">[https://maelkeritidende.dk/sites/default/files/pictures/danishdairy2007.pdf]{{cite web |year=2007 |title=Continuous Production of Analogue Cheese |url=https://maelkeritidende.dk/sites/default/files/pictures/danishdairy2007.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150513111820/http://maelkeritidende.dk/sites/default/files/pictures/danishdairy2007.pdf |archive-date=May 13, 2015 |access-date=October 17, 2012 |publisher=Danish Dairy & Food Industry Worldwide |pages=12–13}}</ref> Casein-based mozzarella-like imitation processed cheeses prepared using rennet are also used as a mozzarella substitute on frozen pizzas.<ref name="TechnologyofCheesemaking"/>

In some instances, the production of analogue pizza cheese can be similar to the production of cream cheese, although production may be different and [[Homogenization (chemistry)|homogenization]] may be avoided.<ref name="DanishDairy"/> In some varieties, the product is heated to remain at a specific temperature and for a specific amount of time, which causes the proteins in the mix to gelatinize.<ref name="DanishDairy"/> During this process, salts in the mix serve to [[Emulsion|emulsify]] it and thus improve the meltability of the final product.<ref name="DanishDairy"/> The heated product is then placed in packaging such as bags-in-boxes while still hot, as it will flow when hot but solidifies as it cools.<ref name="DanishDairy"/> During packaging, these types of pizza cheeses are then quick-cooled to avoid browning of the product, which can occur via the [[Maillard reaction]].<ref name="DanishDairy"/>